We are excited to announce our network expansion project to extend broadband service to more than 61 addresses in Cecil County, MD. In addition to high-speed internet service, these residential customers will have access to all Xfinity services, including our award-winning Xfinity X1 video platform, Xfinity Home, Xfinity Voice and Xfinity Mobile. Engineering and preparation of the utility pole permit applications necessary to extend service is already underway, and we expect the first of these new services to be available by the end of 2021.
“Public‐private partnerships such as this are wins for everyone involved and we’re pleased to be partnering with Comcast and the Governor’s Office of Rural Broadband to extend broadband service throughout the county,” remarked County Executive Dr. Alan J. McCarthy.
This expansion will be partially funded by a $202,432 grant awarded to Cecil County Government and will extend service to Spring Hill Lane, Evergreen Lane, the 1097-1342 block of Irishtown Road, the 600 block of McKinneytown Road westward to Turkey Point Road, and DNR’s Black Hill Ranger Station.
“Numerous pockets of small broadband deserts exist throughout the State” said Rick Gordon, Director of the Governor’s Office of Rural Broadband. “Smaller scale projects such as this are critical components of our goal to extend broadband to every resident and business in rural Maryland.”
Comcast has invested billions of dollars in its Maryland network to meet consumer demand, providing among the fastest, most reliable internet speeds over our fiber-rich network, and one of the fastest in-home WiFi experiences. We will also offer Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest and most successful low-income Internet adoption program, providing low-cost broadband service, digital literacy training and discounted computers.
“Residents of McKinneytown Road have vocalized their need for high speed internet service for many years now,” said David R. Black, Cecil County’s GIS Coordinator. “We are thankful to have obtained this grant to facilitate expansion by partnering with Comcast.”
Construction of the project’s total 14,150 linear feet (2.68 miles) of wire based broadband infrastructure will utilize a mix of above‐ground (attached to utility poles) and underground service laterals. In addition, the trunk line will be designed to facilitate future expansion to four other nearby areas lacking broadband. These future service areas are on all three partners’ lists for future “edge out” projects as part of other grant opportunities.
Staff from the GIS Division of the Cecil County Department of Land Use and Development Services developed the grant proposal and worked cooperatively with our Comcast staff along with staff from the Governor’s Office of Rural Broadband on varied technical details.
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